A man from Girona stabs a knife in Girona

GironaIt had to be a former Girona player, and a native of Girona, who stabbed Girona in the back in Oviedo. Ilyas Chaira punished Míchel's men for their abysmal performance, deservedly suffering their first defeat of 2026 against the bottom-placed team in La Liga (1-0). Anyone who thought the Rojiblancos' objective would be anything more than staying up is sorely mistaken. Reaching 42 points is the only goal. For now, they have 25.

At the Carlos Tartiere stadium, which is bursting with life and hope after this victory, they awaited Girona with their claws ready. They even expressed during the week that they approached the match as if it were "the World Cup final." Understandable, considering their situation: bottom of the league, with a run of poor results that had reached 14 matches without a win since September. A completely different dynamic for Girona, who, on paper, have visited a stadium ripe for winning and continuing to climb the standings. Míchel's team, who didn't achieve their first victory until the eighth matchday of the season, back in October, have earned more points in a month and a half of competition than in the first four.

The initial superiority, however, unsettled Girona, who made things increasingly difficult for themselves as they failed to convert their chances. Vanat's finishing was particularly poor, as he hesitated on several occasions when he had a slight advantage. The Ukrainian engaged in a very intense battle with his marker, David Costas, who won most of the duels, even leaving the center-back on the ground and bleeding. Escandell, the Oviedo goalkeeper, didn't need to make any noteworthy saves until the final whistle, as there were no dangerous shots on goal until stoppage time.

Girona, after a strong start, lacked consistency. While they were a dynamic and active team in the opening minutes, especially thanks to Fran Beltrán's excellent pace, they later became flat and inhibited, lacking any real threat. Only the occasional forays by Àlex Moreno, Bryan Gil's diagonal runs, or Iván Martín's timely forays forward unsettled the opposing defense, which managed to disrupt Girona's attacking play. Girona, in 2026, had yet to finish a match without scoring.

The magic of Cazorla

Ter Stegen, who hadn't won either of the two matches played, hadn't been called into action before the goal. Ilyas and Hassan tested him, but the inspiration came later. The point, which seemed meager, was already being considered a good result, given the lackluster performance, broken only by Cazorla's appearance in the second half, who was cheered like a god and whose talent dispelled the monotony. With fifteen minutes remaining, the Oviedo captain conjured up a through ball to Thiago, who laid it off for Ilyas to tap it into the back of the net. A couple of minutes earlier, Lemar had come close to scoring, and with the score at 1-0, Míchel brought on Echeverri and Stuani. The equalizer almost came in stoppage time, but Aarón deflected a Tsygankov free kick and Witsel headed wide from a set piece. All in vain.